Philips Hue Outdoor smart lights review - bollard & spotlight
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- Опубліковано 28 лип 2024
- Get Philips Outdoor Lights: amzn.to/3unylLv
Read more: www.TechGadgetsCanada.com
Smart lights are the future. Remote and voice control plus colour shifting ability is just the way our homes are
going. I've written before about how much I love smart lighting, and in particular, I've lauded Philips Hue's lineup
for it's ease of set up and use and it's flawless interface and functionality. So I was thrilled to find out Philips Hue
had introduced a whole array of weatherproof outdoor lights.
I recently got some Philips Hue Bollards, and Philips Hue Spotlights to test in my yard.
I started my setup with the Bollards. First you'll undo some screws with the specially included star shaped Allen
key and remove them, taking care not to lose track of the tiny rubber washers designed to keep water out of
your brand new lights. This will allow you to remove the bottom of the light to pull the cord out and connect your
wires.
You have a couple of options for securing the light. You can use the sturdy metal stake to set it in the ground, or
you can screw it into your deck. If you choose this option you’ll have to drill through the small post holes in the
base of the device and set some screws before attaching the base to your deck, then attaching the light top to
the base with those screws you removed earlier.
Not surprisingly these outdoor lights are made to withstand the weather. Philips says they are "made for wet
environments". They are IP65 rated that means they're "dust tight" and protected against water projected from a
nozzle.
So they should withstand rain and snow; will they survive being flooded? I can't say.
To set Philips Hue lights up in the app download the Phillips Hue app then go to "Light set up" then, "Add light".
Then hit Search. After a few seconds the app will find your light and add it to all the lights in your house. This
worked perfectly for me with both the Hue Bollards and the Hue Spotlights.
The spotlights can be set up and controlled individually; you’ll find them one by one in the app. You can label
them each so you know exactly where they are if you prefer.
I will say getting these lights on a set schedule to come on in the evening and turn o
ff
in the morning was a
challenge and I struggled with getting this simple task to work. it's still not working right for me.
The Hue app also gives you simple remote control over the lights any time. You can shut them
o
ff
and turn them on, or create rooms where lights are grouped together, adjust brightness, colour, or use preset
colour stories.
OC - in house with assistant
Thanks to Hue's compatibility with all the smart home digital assistants, you can control your lights with your
voice too. Once you get the lights added to the Home control app of your choice, you can ask Siri, Alexa or
Google to control the lights, change colours, set brightness and more.
VO
The lights are very nice, and having some colour outdoors is a real treat. Are they bright enough to create a safe
walking environment? I think so.
OC
Both the Bollards and the Spotlights put out 700 lumens per light. A 100 w bulb by comparison puts out about
1600 lumens. So they're technocall;y not as bright - maybe more ambient than safety focused.? Even so I found
them quite bright outdoors in dark areas, and I can say they seemed more like 60 watt bulbs than 100, but they
provided more than ample illumination for my needs.
VO
You can connect 5 Bollards to one power supply; one power supply comes with each light. You can also add
additional spotlights to the starter trio, but it's not clear how many it tops out at.
OC
I love, love, love these lights. I'm still enthralled by the Philips Hue user experience overall and I recommend it
highly for folks looking for an easy entry into the smart lighting sphere. They're easy for anyone at all from kids to
seniors to the non-technically inclined to get set up and to use.
The colour change options are fun, and the smartphone control is easy to use.
Downsides? These are expensive:
Bollard $169 each
Spot $349 3/pack
So I really hope they last for years in a harsher outdoor environment. Another downside for some? they need that
Hue Bridge to work.
The timer/scheduling function was also confusing and didn't work right for me. Even so, the lights work great
overall, and with smartphone and voice control, I was able to get around the timer schedule function not
working. Overall I love all the fun colour settings.
If you're looking to brighten up and colorize your outdoor space, I can definitely recommend Philips Hue Bollards
and Spotlights. - Наука та технологія
Pro tip: Plug them in first and near your bridge to update the firmware on them before setting them up.
Good tip. Thanks!
Thanks for uploading...I hope the lights are brighter in person than they appear on your video
Erin, thanks so much for your valued information. I have the outdoor light strips which worked wonderful in our Ontario winter. Next will be the spot lights. Keep up your excellent work!
Thank you Larry! Glad you found it helpful
Tip.
When setting a on and off time you should use the option "other routines" not the "timer" option in the menu.
Can't wait to try these
Have you tested in the winter by now...interested to see how they stood up?
Thank you for this fantastic review! Surviving a couple of Canadian winters is a PLUS! 🎉❤
Thanks for watching!
Those lights are so cool... It looks easy to install...
They are... and they are!
@@ErinLawrenceTV While searching for landscape lighting ideas, I saw your channel and subscribed.. I'm starting a makeover project for my lawn and these lights will blend in perfect with my project :)
Beautiful lights
Thanks for the great review
Thanks for the compliment!
Very informative, Erin. Great review as always!! Thank you.
Thanks Les!
Great honest review as usual. I bought the Philips Hue system for my computer room and although I like the system and reasonable ease of use I found the same problem as you in trying to get the lights to work in the way that they are supposed to do. They work but then they seem to lose connection with the Bridge. So I think the problem lies with the software which seems to be very buggy and annoying. Plus I think all their lights are very expensive. So I agree with you Philips needs to sort their buggy software out and their pricing needs to come down
Great feedback Harry. Did you ever get your timing sorted out??
@@ErinLawrenceTV sorry No
me neither
It most likely has to do with your internet connection. The Hue software is very stable and works 99% of the time in my house and houses of family and friends. My brother had the same problem as you're describing, it had to do with an unstable internet connection at his home. He had too many devices hooked up to LAN and wifi, which means the Hue app was not allowed on his network all of the times. You better check your internet and speed, also check your router.
Thanks for a great review with a lot of information. Two Months down the track and how are you going with the timer settings? I'm using the indoor strip lights, love them, enough to light up my small flat, and I've never had it so good! They work with my google home (via an IFTTT applet) very well. Now I'm looking at the outdoor lights and your review was very helpful with that.
Hi Geoff, Thanks for the compliment! I still love these, but honestly haven't fiddled with them much since. I'll see how they are now; maybe an app update has helped? I too love the indoor lights.
Can you show how to connect all of them outside using the long wires and splinters , I got the same set up and there’s no way it has enough splinters , do u have to order them separately? what voltage source do u need ? Why won’t they just make it so u can buy everything at once and all the corrects necessary parts ? WDa Fluking
Looks great Erin. Those price tags are pretty steep. Hoping for a big boxing day sale.
Yes! I do like them; they make the yard look great.
If you have samsung smart things, it might be able to work with the schedule. We use smart things for light schedule and it works every time. We pre-ordered the bollard and it says mid July, we should be able to get it, but its almost September, and we still don’t have it. :(
Oh no! They must be very popular!
Has anyone had the lights buried in snow yet if so how do they do?
Great work by our fellow Canadian blogger! I have the Hue for a year and enjoy the set up, wishing this outdoor would be cheaper to extend the colorful lighting around the house. Thank you for the video, only thing I do notice the audio is not consistence and the outdoor humming sound; if you can improve that I'm sure the experience of this video will be more engaging! Keep up the good work. #Vancouverfilmmaker.
Thanks so much for the positive feedback! Much appreciated.
How can you say that these lights work perfect every time, when you also mentioned that you couldn’t get the timer or light schedule to work?
However I am still buying these as I am already heavily invested in the HUE system.
Because she uses the wrong setting. She should use the routine setting and not timer
Have you tried using IFTT to control the timers for the lights.?
yes! I've tried it with other lighting set ups. I should look at it for this too, great idea.
I use ifft for my hue and give kits
Hello! Just checking in to see if you have any more input the durability of the outdoor lights now that you've had some time with them. thank you!
Great question. They've lasted well though two winters. I still love how they make the yard look.
Hey Erin. Great video. I’m new to the smart lighting world and was hoping you might be able to give me some advice. I wanted to start with outdoor wall lights …I wanted to replace the direct wired ones I have on my garage and front door. I really like the Phillips Hue impress but sadly it’s a low voltage and I don’t want to have external wires running down my wall. I did look at the appear but I’m not sure it will provide enough light although it’s rated to have the sake lumens as the impress. Any advice you can give me? I’d like to stick with the Phillips hue package as I’d like to eventually have the low voltage around the house. Thanks in advance.
I quite like Hue. They work perfectly and are easy to install and use. And hue does now make a variety of hardwired ones.
No review of the outdoor light strip?
Oh, it's coming.... soon, I hope.
I would like to buy them for my backyard, do they last in the Canadian winter, connectors, cables and lights?
Yes! We’ve had ours for two years and they are going strong.
@@ErinLawrenceTV Thanks for reply.
These have been listed as "sold out" for months. Any insight into why they aren't available? I've sent them inquiries with no response. I pre-ordered, but my order was abruptly cancelled.
Oh no! Very interesting. High demand, I wonder...
Hi Brian, both the Calla and Lily sell out very quickly, it took me 2 months to get 10 lights total. I signed up for notifications for when they became available through Amazon (available often), Best Buy, Phillips Hue site, and Home Depot.
They priced these lights so high.
beautiful Erin
Curious, why do you like smart lighting so much? For the tech aspect of it?
Great question, electro. I love the way colour can transform a space. Cool blue or green light can really make a warm room seem cooler, to me. Same for winter time; I turn the lights pinky or peachy and it helps the space seem warmer. I also love the simplicity and hands-free operation. Plus the energy efficiency of LED. So many reasons!
@@ErinLawrenceTV cool
Hey there. I was wondering if you or someone figure it out how to deal with the schedule, I am having the same issue with my new outdoor lights. Any suggestion , Advise will be appreciated
Hi Henry. Thanks for watching. I haven’t really played with it again since.
Erin Lawrence hi 👋, thanks for your prompt response. Hopefully the issue will be fix soon bu Philips. Thanks for your great videos
Hey Henry, what challenges are you having? I have mine on a sundown schedule and off by 12am with no issues. Maybe i can help?
One thing I noticed is you have to select all the days sun-sat for example otherwise they won’t trigger, its not clear in the app that’s what you have to do for it to work everyday
How have these stood up in the winter?
Amazing. ON and off each day on my timer and no outages even at -25C. Great colour.
Can you replace the bulbs? They don't mention the type of bulbs on the website
Good question. I don’t think so but I don’t know for certain .
7 months after, i know, but no. 10000 -25000 hours og use tho
how close does the bridge have to be to the lights to function correctly?
I've had good luck with it inside the house, on the other side of the home. Never had issues with Hue lights and connectivity.
I'm pretty sure that the lights all repeat the signal so that the other lights can connect.
Neat!
That’s correct each bulb acts as a repeater for the signal. I’ve have them in my house, Conservatory and all over the garden.
Any update for our Canadian winter yet?
Excellent question. So far they've been great, even in -20 temps. No issues.
@@ErinLawrenceTV I'm worried about them being covered in snow 😀. At the price, I don't want to damage them.
Mine have been snowed on pretty heavily and so far everything works great!
What’s the cable length between the lights?
5meters
Erin, why aren't you in broadcasting? You absolutely have a reporter voice. The only thing I would have changed about your video is maybe incorporate a bit more dog. Having a puppy in the shot humanizes you a bit more. Especially since dogs are animals...
I AM in broadcasting! IRL I'm a TV producer. ;)
Skills that pay the bills. Tune in at 6pm for the details...
IFTTT is best for HUE
Price must come down by 75% to be competitive.
Doesn't seem to be the case. They're not chasing the low end of the market.
Tom Spallone and be low voltage so you easily hook up 20 of em
I am Phillips you at home which I can send to be too expensive any way but very good. The out door ones are completely overpriced...
From what i've found they're only 200 lumens each, 600 in total (3 pack)!
I know Erin loves smart lighting... Smart lighting she loves. I know folks I know
GREAT LIGHTS BUT REVIEW AT NIGHT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE!
hey I was wondering if you can comment on any yellowing problems you had with the Hur Bollard lights. I just found out about this issue and discovered an interesting fix for it. ua-cam.com/video/C5Se7tOoyO8/v-deo.html
I haven’t noticed any yellowing on mine.
my biggest problem with these is they will get stolen a lot due to their cost.
I still have mine so far! You can screw them into your deck or surface as I said, so that should help.
Erin nice review - tell us where you live and what type of screwdriver to bring-willing to test how long it takes to swipe then 😁
But really-nice review - good job
New sub 👍
That was my concern as well, but as Erin mentioned, you can screw them down. Not to mention you have to dig up your yard to run the cables underground. That will make it more difficult for someone to take them.
It’s way cheaper to buy the outdoor spots and then buy the Phillips bulb to fit inside it. I bought the spot for £12 each and the hue bulb to fit in it for £20 white or £49 colour.
Are those bulbs outdoor rated? I'm not sure they are.
It’s not the bulbs that need to be outdoor rated they are inside an outdoor waterproof lamp it’s the spot lamps that have to be and there’s lots of outdoor rated spot lamps on the market.
I didn't know that. This could be an excellent solution for some.
Can you send me a link to those outdoor spots?
I suppose that’s dependent on how many lights you need because even the bulbs are pricey.
Don’t say “Alexa” or “google” mute the video when your gonna do that
Price drop A S A P
For lights, these are way overpriced.
Definitely not for everyone. Thanks for watching the review.
No thanks I’ll go wit LIFX no hub required
But phillips have so much more, great support. After prchasing some bulbs you will save moneu compared to lifx
"twice less"... that's called "half" 😒😒
LOL, thanks!
Pity they are an absolute rip off!!
Because of the price, you mean?
Erin Lawrence yeah, I am slowly kitting out my house with Philips hue as they are easily the best smart light on the market but the cost is just ridiculous, £70 for a strip of leds is insane! £275 for 3 outdoor spotlights 🤨